Estandarización de un procedimiento espectrofotométrico para la cuantificación de polisacárido capsular de Neisseria meningitidis serogrupo X / Standardization of a spectrophotometric procedure for the quantification of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X capsular polysaccharide

En el presente trabajo se realiza la estandarización del procedimiento espectrofotométrico de determinación de polisacárido capsular e intermedios de Neisseria meningitidis serogrupo X, mediante la determinación de los grupos fosfodiéster presentes en su estructura, por el método de Chen. Se realizó un análisis de los siguientes criterios para la estandarización: linealidad, precisión (repetibilidad y precisión intermedia) y exactitud. Se demostró mediante el diseño experimental y los procedimientos estadísticos empleados que el método es lineal (r > 0,99), el coeficiente de variación del factor respuesta < 5 por ciento, la desviación estándar relativa de la pendiente < 2 por ciento, no existiendo diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre el intercepto de la ecuación con respecto a cero; exacto, porque no existe diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre la concentración determinada en un material de trabajo y su concentración nominal; también demostró ser repetible, pues el coeficiente de variación de las concentraciones de la muestra evaluada (2,44; 2,43; 0,88 por ciento para las concentraciones bajas, medias y altas, respectivamente) es inferior al 3 por ciento y no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las medias de los resultados obtenidos por dos analistas, evaluados durante cuatro días a tres niveles de concentración. La precisión intermedia es satisfactoria(AU)

The present work comprises the standardization a spectrophotometric procedure for assessing Neisseria meningitidis, serogroup X capsular polysaccharide and their intermediates of modification, the phosphodiesters groups present in its structure, based on Chen method. An analysis of the following standardization criteria was performed: linearity, precision (repeatability and intermediate precision) and accuracy. It was demonstrated through the experimental design and the statistical procedures used that the method is linear (r > 0.99), the coefficient of variation of the response factor < 5 percent, the relative standard deviation of the slope < 2 percent, with no statistically significant difference between the intercept of the equation with respect to zero; exact, because there is no statistically significant difference between the concentration determined in a work material and its nominal concentration; it also proved to be repeatable, because the coefficient of variation of the concentrations of the sample (2.44; 2.43; 0.88 percent for low, medium and high concentrations respectively) is less than 3 percent and there is no statistically significant difference between the means of the results obtained by two analysts, evaluated for four days at three concentration levels. Its intermediate precision was satisfactory(AU)

Plan de acción nacional frente a la emergencia de la cepa W-135 responsable de enfermedad meningocócica invasora en Chile, 2012-2013 / National action plan for the emergence of invasive meningococcal disease in Chile, 2012-2013

Invasive meningococcal disease is challenging for public health, mainly when it manifests with sudden changes in incidence, serogroups and hypervirulent clones that spread in the population, causing great alarm due to its sequelae and often fatal course, a situation that occurred in Chile, starting at week 26 of the year 2012. To face this scenario, an organization of multidisciplinary teams was required, called W-135 Action Plan in Chile, which included sanitary alerts, education, reinforcement of the epidemiological surveillance of suspicious cases, immediate diagnosis through state-of-the-art techniques, blocking of contacts, communication plans, and, from the 42nd week, ON the vaccination campaign was started for children aged from 9-months-old to less than 5 years of age. The vaccination strategy had a great impact on the decrease in incidence (1.3 to 0.1/100,000) and case fatality rate in the vaccinated population (23% to 0%), with a high safety profile, leading to its subsequent inclusion in the national immunization program. The ability to develop molecular, clinical and epidemiological studies allowed us to better understand the situation, supporting public health policy decisions for its control. The W-135 Action Plan implemented by the Ministry of Health in Chile, to manage the outbreak of meningococcal disease by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W, demonstrated that the coordination of these efforts, through an organized Action Plan, allows the implementation of campaigns at the national level achieving high coverage of risk populations in short periods of time, generating a positive impact on the health of the population.

A Five Years Retrospective Study on Etiology and Clinical Analysis of Meningitis in St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College Pediatric Ward from 2012-2016

Meningitis is the sever CNS pyogenicinfections which primarily affectsinfants and children. Ethiopia isone of the countries where meningitis isendemic and frequentepisodes of meningococcal epidemics are very common in the dry season (December to June). The main purpose of thisstudy was toidentify determinantsand clinical analysis of meningitis in pediatrics ward admitted to St.Paul’s hospital millennium medical college pediatrics wards from2012-2016. retrospective study on etiology and clinical analysis of meningitis was conducted at the pediatric unit. The study population was all pediatric patients admitted with meningitis that were presented in ward during the study period. Those fulfilling the mentioned inclusion criteria wereincluded. The data were collected using a structured format in September /2016. From the study population 95 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteriaand 64 & 31 of them were males and females, respectivelymaking a male to female ratio of 2:1. The most significant seasonalvariation was observed for N. meningitidishaving highincidence in the 2ndquarter (April to June). Inthe dry season 18 cases were diagnosed using the culture results. Culturefindings alsorevealed that S.pneumonia was one of the commonest causes of bacterialmeningitis. Themost common symptom was fever with high grade fever (>38oC) recorded in 84(88.4%) of cases. Most (65.5 %). of clients were recovered from meningitis at the end of the treatmentwhere as death was the second outcome with 17(20.2 %) cases ended up with death. Neurological or other complications were seen in 9(10.7 %) cases.

Analysis of current epidemiological and clinical characteristics for laboratory confirmed epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis cases in Shandong Province, 2007-2016 / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective@#To analyze epidemiological and clinical characteristics of laboratory confirmed epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis cases.@*Methods@#Epidemiological and clinical informations and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood specimens of AMES (acute meningitis/encephalitis syndrome) cases were collected in the six sentinel hospitals from 2007 to 2016. neisseria meningitides (Nm) species and serogroup identification were detected by the methods of real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) and bacterial culture, and epidemiological and clinical characteristics of laboratory confirmed epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis cases were analyzed.@*Results@#6 809 AMES cases were reported from 2007 to 2016. Total 4 422 cases were detected, and 90 cases were Nm positive. Through the methods of Real-time PCR, bacterial blood culture and CSF culture, the numbers of Nm positive cases were 90, 2 and 1 respectively. Twenty-two Nm cases were identified from 2007 to 2011 (4 cases were ungrouped), which with the highest incidence in serogroup C cases (17/18), and one cases was ungroupable Nm. Nm laboratory confirmed cases (68 cases) were increased dramatically and mainly occurred in serogroup B cases (43/67, 64.2%) from 2012 to 2016, with serogroup C cases highly decreased (5/67, 7.5%) and ungroupable Nm cases increased (13/67, 19.4%) meanwhile. Serogroup W135 and X cases were first detected at 2012 and 2014, and serogroup A remaining a low level which only detected one case at 2013. The morbidity of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis was occured in the whole year, and mainly in winter and spring. The ratio of Nm laboratory confirmed cases to AMES cases during November to May (3.5%, 67/1 920) was higher than that during June to October (0.9%, 23/2 502) (χ2=34.45, P<0.001). Most Nm cases were children, students and farmers, and account for 30.0% (27/90), 31.1% (28/90), 18.9% (17/90), respectively. The majority of Nm cases were under 20 years old (60/90, 66.67%), and serogroup C cases (17/22, 77.3%) mainly occurred in over 12 years old population, while serogroup B (24/43, 55.8%) and ungroupable (6/14) cases mainly occurred in under 12 years old population. The main clinical symptoms of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis cases were fever (78/90, 86.7%), headache (59/90, 65.6%) and vomiting (51/90, 56.7%). Misdiagnosis rate of admitting diagnosis was up to 87.8% (79/90) for the reason of atypical features in specific symptoms and blood or CSF positive index. The well-healed ratio in correct diagnosed group (7/11) was higher than that in misdiagnosed group (2.5%, 2/79) (χ2=40.61, P<0.001).@*Conclusion@#The clinical symptoms of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis cases were atypical, and the diagnosed sensitivity and accuracy would be improved by enhanced molecular biology detection. The predominant epidemic serogroup of Nm switched from serogroup C to B, and the key work was surveaylance of serogroup transition.

Evaluation of the impact of serogroup C meningococcal disease vaccination program in Brazil and its regions: a population-based study, 2001-2013

BACKGROUND Meningococcal C conjugate (MenC) vaccine was introduced as part of the Brazilian National Immunisation Program in 2010 for children < 1 year of age. OBJECTIVES The study objective was to evaluate the impact of this vaccination strategy. METHODS An observational, mixed ecological and analytical study was conducted, based on time series panel data from surveillance records (2001-2013). FINDINGS A total of 37,538 of meningococcal disease cases were recorded during the study period. Of these, 19,997 were attributed to serogroup C. A decrease in meningococcal disease serogroup C (MDC) incidence among children aged < 1 year [65.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 20.5-84.7%] and 1-4 years (46.9%; 95%CI: 14.6-79.1%) were found in the three years following vaccination introduction. Vaccination impact on the reduction of MDC incidence varied from 83.7% (95%CI: 51.1-100.0%) in the Midwest region to 56.7% (95%CI: 37.4-76.0%) in the Northeast region. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Vaccination against MDC in Brazil had a positive impact on the population of children aged < 1 year, across all regions, and on the 1-4 year-old cohort. Nevertheless, in our view there is scope for improving the vaccination strategy adopted in Brazil.

Meningitis neonatal por Neisseria meningitidis serogrupo B / Neonatal meningitis caused by serogroup B Neisseria meningitides

La meningitis meningocóccica es una infección poco frecuente en el período neonatal internacionalmente, y solo hay una publicación previa en la literatura médica cubana hace 25 años atrás, de recién nacidos con meningitis bacteriana causada por Neisseria meningitidis. Se presenta el caso de un recién nacido febril, con manifestaciones de toxicidad, fontanela abombada, y cuando se realizó punción lumbar, se encontró pleocitosis del líquido cefalorraquídeo y se aisló N. meningitidis serogrupo B, por lo que se diagnostica meningitis meningocóccica neonatal. Tuvo evolución favorable. Se describen algunas características de la infección meningocócica, y se destaca el diagnóstico y tratamiento recomendado para este tipo de infección, así como se hace referencia a reportes de casos publicados en la literatura internacional.

Meningoccocal meningitis is a rare infection in the neonatal period worldwide and there is just one publication in the Cuban medical literature dated 25 years ago, which presented some neonates with bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitides. This is a febrile neonate with toxicity manifestations and bulging fontanelle; he was performed a lumbar puncture to find spinal fluid pleocytosis and the serogroup B N. meningitides was then isolated, so he was diagnosed with neonatal meningococcal meningitis with favorable progression. Some characteristics of the meningococcal infection, the diagnosis and recommended treatment were described in addition to making reference to case reports published in the international literature.

PCR analysis and molecular characters of the first serogroup W135 meningococcal disease case in Shanxi province / 中国基层医药

Objective To analyze the PCR and molecular characters of the first serogroup W135 meningo-coccal death case in Shanxi province on April,2013.Methods Epidemiological survey of suspected epidemic cere-brospinal meningitis case was conducted,blood serum and petechia tissue fluid samples were identified by PCR for crgA gene and siaD gene of W 135.Multilocus sequence typing(MLST)was performed for determining the sequence types(STs).Results The patient in the case died of serogroup W135 Neisseria meningitides,which belonged to ST-11.Conclusion This is the first case died of serogroup W135 Neisseria meningitidis in Shanxi province,which prompts that the surveillance of meningococcal pathogeny should be strengthened.

Peritonite por Neisseria meningitidis sorotipo C - relato de caso / Neisseria meningitidis peritonitis serotype C - case report

Introdução: a manifestação da doença meningocócica como um abdome agudo com peritonite meningocócica é rara. Relatamos um quadro de peritonite primária e bacteremia por Neisseria meningitidis do sorotipo C, ocorrendo em conjunto com o quadro de abdome agudo obstrutivo. Relato de caso: homem de 27 anos atendido com quadro de abdome agudo acompanhado de febre e parada de eliminação de gazes e fezes há 3 dias, sendo o estudo radiológico mostrando apenas níveis hidroaéreos de delgado. O exame físico apresentava sinais de peritonite. Indicado laparotomia exploradora que evidenciou apenas bridas espessas e secreção purulenta intrabdominal, sendo enviado o material para cultura mostrado a presença de Neisseria meningitidis peritoneal. Evoluiu com meningite com meningococcemia após 48 horas. Conclusão: embora seja uma causa etiológica rara de peritonite aguda, a infecção por Neisseria meningitidis deve ser aventada em casos de peritonite na emergência.

Background: the inicial manifestation of meningococcal disease as an acute abdomen with meningococcal peritonitis is rare. We describe a case for primary peritonitis and bacteremia caused by Neisseria meningitidis serotype C occurring in conjunction with the obstructive acute abdomen. Case report: man with 27 years-old look for assistance with acute abdomen associated with fever and absence of flatus and evacuation for 3 days and radiological study with stool showing air-fluid levels. The physical examination showed signs of peritonitis. Indicated laparotomy which showed only thick flanges and intrabdominal purulent material culture to show the presence of Neisseria meningitidis peritoneal being sent. Evolved to meningitis with meningococcemia after 48 hours. Conclusion: although rare etiological cause of acute peritonitis, the infection with Neisseria meningitidis be suggested as in emergency cases of peritonitis.

Immunocompetence and Immunoprotection of a DNA vaccine NMB0315 against N.meningitidis serogroup B in mice / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To construct NMB0315 eukaryotic expression recombinant vector ,detect specific humoral and cellular immune response induced by the recombint DNA vaccine intramuscularly in female BALB /c mice,evaluate the immunocompetence and immunoprotection of the vaccine , so as to provide experimental basis for the development of a novel nucleic acid vaccine against N.meningitidis serogroup B .Methods: The whole NMB0315 gene was amplified by PCR from the standard strains MC 58 genomic DNA,cloned into a plasmid pcDNA3.1(+),identified by double digestion of the recombinant plasmid with restriction enzymes and se -quencing.The recombinant vector pcDNA 3.1 (+)/NMB0315 was transfected into eukaryotic COS-7 cells and RAW264.7 cells, the NMB0315 protein was detected by immunocytochemical method and Western blot respectively .The levels of specific humoral and cellular immune response were detected after inoculating in female BALB /c mice intramuscularly with the recombinant plasmid .The immune protective effect was investigated with the DNA vaccine and the bactericidal titer of the immune serum was deter mined by serum bactericidal assay ( SBA ) in vitro.Results: The recombinant pcDNA3.1 (+)/NMB0315 was effectively transcripted and expressed in eukaryotic cells and the specific humoral and cellular immune responses were induced in the inoculated mice .In the re-combinant pcDNA3.1(+)/NMB0315 group ,the levels of serum IgG,IgG1,IgG2a,IgG2b and IgG3 and genital tract sIgA were significantly higher than in controls ( P<0.001 ) .The stimulation index in the culture supernatant of the spleen lymphocytes of the vaccine group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).The ratios of serum IgG2a/IgG1 in the DNA vaccine group were less than 1.The bactericidal titer of the NMB 0315+CpG group reached 1:128 following three immunizations , the protection rate of the vaccine group was 70%against the N.meningitidis strain MC58.Conclusion:The NMB0315 nucleic acid vaccine could induce higher levels of humoral immunity and cellular immunity and showed effective protection against N .meningitidis serogroup B , the immune serum had strong bactericidal activity in vitro .

Cluster of Serogroup W-135 Meningococcal Disease in 3 Military Recruits

We describe a group of 3 cases of invasive meningococcal disease that occurred in a military training camp in April 2011. All three patients were hospitalized. Ultimately, two patients recovered and one died. One patient had meningitis, one patient had septicemia and meningitis, and the other had no definite septicemia or meningitis. Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W-135 was detected in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of all patients by real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the one case of mortality, two strains were isolated from the patient's blood and CSF. Using multilocus sequence typing analysis, these strains were identified as a novel sequence type, ST-8912. Special attention is required for the meningococcal disease in military camp because the military personnels are in high risk of contact transmission.

Antigen sequence typing of outer membrane protein (fetA) gene of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A from Delhi & adjoining areas.

Background & objectives: Meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis is a fatal disease. Meningococcal meningitis is an endemic disease in Delhi and irregular pattern of outbreaks has been reported in India. All these outbreaks were associated with serogroup A. Detailed molecular characterization of N. meningitidis is required for the management of this fatal disease. In this study, we characterized antigenic diversity of surface exposed outer membrane protein (OMP) FetA antigen of N. meningitidis serogroup A isolates obtained from cases of invasive meningococcal meningitis in Delhi, India. Methods: Eight isolates of N. meningitidis were collected from cerebrospinal fluid during October 2008 to May 2011 from occasional cases of meningococcal meningitis. Seven isolates were from outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis in 2005-2006 in Delhi and its adjoining areas. These were subjected to molecular typing of fetA gene, an outer membrane protein gene. Results: All 15 N. meningitides isolates studied were serogroup A. This surface exposed porin is putatively under immune pressure. Hence as a part of molecular characterization, genotyping was carried out to find out the diversity in outer membrane protein (FetA) gene among the circulating isolates of N. meningitidis. All 15 isolates proved to be of the same existing allele type of FetA variable region (VR) when matched with global database. The allele found was F3-1 for all the isolates. Interpretation & conclusions: There was no diversity reported in the outer membrane protein FetA in the present study and hence this protein appeared to be a stable molecule. More studies on molecular characterization of FetA antigen are required from different serogroups circulating in different parts of the world.

Clinical features and risk factors analysis on 69 children of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis in children.Methods A retrospective review was performed and a total of 69 cases of children epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis were collected and classified into ordinary and fulminant epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis from 1999 to 2011.Disease prevalent season,age,clinical characteristics,laboratory examination,treatment,prognosis and risk factors were analyzed.Results The mean age(33 male and 36 female) was (6.85 ±5.12)years old,ranging from 56 days to 15 years old.A total of 60 cases began on January to May; 6 cases began on June to October; 3 cases began on November to December.All of the 42 cases of ordinary epidemic meningitis were recovered; 7 cases of fulminant epidemic meningitis(n =27) were dead.All of the patients had fever; 64 cases(92.75％) had Petechiae petechial skin; 36 cases(52.17％) had headache; 49 cases(71.01％) vomited; 65 cases(94.2％) had positive neck resistance; 15 cases(21.74％) had convulsion; 35 cases(50.72％) had drowsiness or coma; 32 cases (46.38％) had positive pathological signs and 24 cases (34.78％) had low blood pressure or shock.Blood tests revealed that 63.77％ of the patients leukocytes raised and 8.70％ of the patients reduced; 42.03％ of the patients platelet reduced; 55.07％ of the patients had electrolyte disturbance and 89.86％ of the patients had coagulation disorders,among which 46.38％ fibrinogen reduced.The rash printed piece and cerebrospinal fluid smear tests found that Gram-negative bacteria positive rate were 12.5％ and 19.35％ respectively; the positive rate in bacterial culture of cerebrospinal fluid and blood culture were 12.90％ and 7.25％ respectively.Drug sensitive test showed that penicillin and ceftriaxone were sensitive to bacteria.The differences of age,leukocyte and platelet counts,fibrinogen and altered mental status between ordinary and fluminant epidemic meningitis were significant (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The prevalent season is from January to May and the prevalent age is less than 5 years for children with epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis.Ceftriaxone or penicillin should be the preferred choice;age,lower leukocyte and platelet counts,lower fibrinogen and altered mental status should be used to predict the severity of the disease.

New versus old meningococcal Group B vaccines: How the new ones may benefit infants & toddlers.

Invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis is associated with high mortality and high disability rates and mainly affects children under one year of age. Vaccination is the best way to prevent meningococcal disease, especially in infants and toddlers. The introduction of massive meningococcal serogroup C vaccination has drastically reduced the incidence of disease caused by this serogroup, and serogroup B has now become the main causative agent in several industrialized countries. The first serogroup B vaccines, which were used for more than two decades, were based on outer membrane vesicles and proved to be protective only against specific epidemic strains in Cuba, Norway, Brazil and New Zealand. Moreover, these often elicited a scant immune response in young children. Innovative genomics-based reverse vaccinology subsequently enabled researchers to identify genes encoding for surface proteins that are able to elicit a strong immune response against several B strains. This important discovery led to the development and recent approval in Europe of the four-component meningococcal serogroup B (4CMenB) vaccine. Large clinical trials have shown high immunogenicity and tolerability and acceptable safety levels of 4CMenB in infants and toddlers. This vaccine is expected to cover a large number of circulating invasive strains and may also be efficacious against other serogroups. Young children are particularly vulnerable to the devastating consequences of meningococcal disease. Given the high performance of 4CMenB and its non-interference with routine vaccinations, this age-group will be the first to benefit from the introduction of this vaccine.

Impacto da vacinação contra o meningococo c na ocorrência de doença meningocócica em hospital especializado / The impact of vaccination against meningococcus c on the occurrence of meningococcal disease in a specialized hospital / El impacto de la vacunación contra el meningococo c en la ocurrencia de la enfermedad meningocócica en un hospital especializado

A Doença Meningocócica (DM) constitui-se um grave problema de saúdepública devido a sua alta letalidade. O objetivo deste estudo é descrever a ocorrência da DM em um serviço de referência cinco anos antes (2005 a 2009) e um ano e oito meses (2011 a agosto 2012) após a campanha vacinal em Salvador, observando possíveis alterações no perfil epidemiológico. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, utilizando dados secundários coletados no Núcleo de Vigilância Epidemiológica do Hospital Couto Maia, com análise retrospectiva dos casos de DM no período estudado. A amostra foi formada por 488 pacientes, tendo sido amaior parte deles internados no período pré-vacinal (71por cento). Os resultados apontam uma queda na frequência importante da doença nas faixas etárias de 0 a 5 anos e entre 20 e 24 anos, 90por cento e 85por cento, respectivamente. O estudo obteve resultados compatíveis com estudos prévios realizados no Reino Unido e em Quebec, evidenciando diminuição da frequência deDM nas faixas etárias vacinadas contra o meningococo C. Concluiu-se que a vacinação contra o meningococo C, mesmo sendo restrita a algumas faixas etárias, pode constituir importante ferramenta para redução dos casos da doença.

The Meningococcal Disease (DM) constitutes a serious public health problem due to its high lethality. The aim of this study is to describe the occurrence of DM in a reference service five years before (2005-2009) and one year and eight months (2011 to August 2012) after the vaccination campaign in Salvador, observing possible changes in the epidemiological profile. This is a descriptive study using secondary data collected at the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance of Hospital Couto Maia, with retrospective analysis of cases of DM during the study period. The sample consisted of 488 patients, who were mostly admitted tothe pre-vaccine period (71percent). The results indicate a significant decrease in the frequency of the disease in the age groups 0-5 years and between 20 and 24 years, 90percent and 85percent, respectively. The study obtained results consistent with previous studies conducted in the UK and in Quebec,showing a reduction in the frequency of DM in the age vaccinated against meningococcal C. It was concluded that vaccination against meningococcal C, despite being restricted to certain age groups can be an important tool for reducing cases of meningococcal disease.

La enfermedad meningocócica (EM) constituye un grave problema de salud pública debido a su alta letalidad. El objetivo de este estudio es describir la ocurrencia de EM en un servicio de referencia, durante el periodo de 2005 a 2009, y en un periodo más reciente, de 2011 a agosto de 2012, después de la campaña de vacunación en Salvador, observando los posibles cambios en el perfil epidemiológico. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo utilizando datos secundarios recolectados en el Centro de Vigilancia Epidemiológica del Hospital Couto Maia, con el análisis retrospectivo de los casos de DM durante el período de estudio. La muestra estuvo constituida por 488 pacientes, en su mayoría (71por ciento), ingresados en el periodo anterior a la vacuna. Los resultados indican una disminución significativa en la frecuencia de la enfermedad en los grupos de edad 0-5 años y entre 20 y 24 años, es decir, 90por ciento y 85por ciento, respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos son compatibles con estudios previos realizados en el Reino Unido y en Quebec, mostrando unareducción de la frecuencia de EM en los grupos de edad vacunados contra el meningococo C. Se concluye que la vacunación contra el meningococo C, a pesar de su restricción a ciertos grupos de edad, puede ser una herramienta importante para reducir los casos de dichaenfermedad

Infection and immune-mediated meningococcal-associated arthritis: combination features in the same patient / Artrite meningocócica mediada imunologicamente e associada à infecção: combinação de ambas características no mesmo paciente

We present a case of a 16-year-old male patient with sudden-onset, rash, arthritis and meningitis by Neisseria meningitidis one week after an acute upper respiratory infection. On the 10th day of treatment followed by neurological and arthritis clinical improvement, he presented once again a tender and swollen left knee with a moderate effusion, and active and passive range of motion was severely limited secondary to pain, and when he was submitted to surgical drainage and synovial fluid analysis he showed inflammatory characteristics. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was taken for five days with complete improvement of symptoms. The case is notable for its combination of features of septic and immune-mediated arthritis, which has rarely been reported in the same patient.

Paciente de 16 anos do sexo masculino apresentou-se ao serviço de emergência com quadro de erupção cutânea súbita, artrite e meningite por Neisseria meningitidis, uma semana após apresentar sintomas de infecção de vias aéreas superiores. No décimo dia de tratamento, seguido da melhora clínica neurológica e da artrite, ele volta a apresentar derrame articular moderado com limitação importante da amplitude dos movimentos passivo e ativo secundária à dor. Em seguida, foi submetido à drenagem cirúrgica e a análise do líquido sinovial mostra características inflamatórias. Foi iniciado tratamento com antiinflamatório não esteroidal por cinco dias com melhora completa dos sintomas. Esse caso tem como característica peculiar o fato do indivíduo apresentar tanto as características de artrite séptica pelo meningococo quanto de artrite imunomediada, o que tem sido pouco usual no mesmo paciente.

Carriage Rates and Serogroups of Neisseria meningitides in Children Attending Day Care Centers / 소아감염

PURPOSE:Neisseria meningitides is one of the most common causative pathogens of bacteremia and meningitis. Recently protein-conjugated vaccines have been developed and included in the routine vaccination schedule in a few countries. In Korea, carriage rates of N. meningitides among healthy adults have been reported. However, systematic data for childhood carriage rates are not available. This study was performed to evaluate the carriage rates of N. meningitides and the serotype distribution among healthy children attending day care centers. METHODS:During the period of January through May 2005, nasopharyngeal swabs and culture were obtained from 904 children attending 13 different day care centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The Vitek NHI card was used to identify N. meningitides and the crgA gene was detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serotype determination was performed by agglutination test using N. meningitides antisera to serotypes A, B, C, D, 29E, W135, X, Y, and Z. PCR for detection of the org2 and saiD gene confirmed serotypes A, B, C, W135, and Y. RESULTS:The mean age among 904 children was 4.5 years; 6.5% (59/904) were children 5 years old; 52.0% (468/904) were male. N. meningitides was isolated from only 7 children attending 5 different day care centers and the overall carriage rate of N. meningitides was 0.8%. The detected serotypes of N. meningitides were serotype A (n=2), C (n=2), and Y (n=3). CONCLUSION:The carriage rate of N. meningitides among healthy children attending day care centers was very low in Korea and the detected serotypes were A, C, and Y.